The Sermon Love by David McGee
Feb 14, 2016
Love (32:07)
Referenced Scriptures: John 3:16; 1 Corinthians 13:1-13; 2 Corinthians 5:11-15; 1 Corinthians 1:3-5; Romans 8:1
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The scriptures below are from the WEB Bible.
John 3:16
16) For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
1 Corinthians 13:1-13
1) If I speak with the languages of men and of angels, but don‘t have love, I have become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal.
2) If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but don‘t have love, I am nothing.
3) If I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but don‘t have love, it profits me nothing.
4) Love is patient and is kind; love doesn‘t envy. Love doesn‘t brag, is not proud,
5) doesn‘t behave itself inappropriately, doesn‘t seek its own way, is not provoked, takes no account of evil;
6) doesn‘t rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;
7) bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8) Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will be done away with. Where there are various languages, they will cease. Where there is knowledge, it will be done away with.
9) For we know in part, and we prophesy in part;
10) but when that which is complete has come, then that which is partial will be done away with.
11) When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child. Now that I have become a man, I have put away childish things.
12) For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, even as I was also fully known.
13) But now remain faith, hope, and love: these three. The greatest of these is love.
2 Corinthians 5:11-15
11) Knowing therefore the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are revealed to God; and I hope that we are revealed also in your consciences.
12) For we are not commending ourselves to you again, but speak as giving you occasion of boasting on our behalf, that you may have something to answer those who boast in appearance, and not in heart.
13) For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God. Or if we are of sober mind, it is for you.
14) For the love of Christ constrains us; because we judge thus, that one died for all, therefore all died.
15) He died for all, that those who live should no longer live to themselves, but to him who for their sakes died and rose again.
1 Corinthians 1:3-5
3) Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
4) I always thank my God concerning you, for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus;
5) that in everything you were enriched in him, in all speech and all knowledge;
Romans 8:1
1) There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who don‘t walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
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Well this message today. Is. I guess appropriately led Love. Saying that this is Valentine's Day and. The love that we have and the love that we experience through Jesus Christ is the perfect gift or perfect love and. Sometimes it's difficult to comprehend. Because most of the time we. We look at love from the perspective of our own experience. Of whether somebody loves us. If they love us then it's a little easier for us to love them. And even if people do love us. Necessarily. Maybe we don't love them. For whatever reason so. Love is something that. Is. I guess individual. That it depends on our feelings our emotions whether we. You know. I was listening to a person personal testimonies and things and. You know some people grew up an environment where they've never experienced love. They've never had any sense of stability in their life and. So for their family system and through. You know. They're going through school or and being in college and in their early lives it's just like they've never understood this whole concept of love. And so their only understanding of emotions basically were anger and resentment and and. Hurt and those types of things so for us to look at love and to understand. Into getting clearer perspective of it I think we have to look at the love that has for us and. We then becomes even become an expression of the love that we have received. So. But most of the times we think of. You know a lot of it's Valentine's Day we do that I gave you a card last year. Maybe I'll give you a card next year but. It's more of a hallmark. End of day. I think it was invented by Hallmark and. That we would you know. Go to him by the cards and send to everyone but. Fortunately for us we have a very unique experience our granddaughter Emma. Was born eight years ago. Today in El Salvador. And so. She was a Valentine's baby but in El Salvador they don't have Valentine's cards. So they don't have a Valentine's Day so we were. You know excited saying oh it's Valentine's Day that she's born on the people in El Salvador. What's that. You know. So it's just like they don't have the Fourth of July. That's our independence you know. They don't celebrate the Fourth of July. They have their own Independence Day So we look at things in that kind of gives us a little understanding of. You know what is our norm. What is our experience. May not be someone else's experience. And so whenever we talk about love it can be that same type of foreign experience. It is. It is something that people just have no concept of. And so when we think of love then we think of it almost always in the sense of comparison. Wall in comparison to what is love. In comparison to hatred in comparison to bitterness in comparison to really really doesn't matter in comparison to what. Well. Hopefully we can. It's like a vegetarian and the. And what they call carnivores you know the people who are meat eaters and. I don't I know we call vegetarians and vegans and you know they will have nothing to do with milk and vegetarians eat only the. Vegetables and things. But there are individuals who eat meat in. And consume vegetables as well. So. Whether we are a comparison of taste. Do you want hot sauce or not. Yeah. You go to them not to you know. And we made. Rhonda made soup the other day and and. With Turkey and being very Turkey. Berger's you know. Being very conscious of too much fat. Because I carry enough with me and. It was you know it said lightly seasoned you know. While I'm eating and I go. What did you put in this. You know what did you make this out of you know. And she's just Turkey and then she then afterwards she says. But it had flavoring you know. Well the flavoring was a little too hot for me but. But it's just see how our tastes are and who are we to say which taste is correct. You know. Who are we to say that your taste for. Steak with hot sauce or. Steak with A one sauce or. Veggie burgers. Or. You know looking at those things so it's each individual's. Experience and. And our own individual expression so. When we think about love it's kind of that same. Perspective it's like. It's so general that so. You know I love my car. I love my new truck. I love the weather. I love your new dress and love you. You know. Where do we you know it's the same word in. It's often that word that. Love which is so confusing. In our language in the English language because in the Greek. There are at least three or four. Expressions for the word love and you use love in each of those settings in one of them is just a general type of you know I love the day. And then there isn't the a copy a type of love which is the greatest type of love which is the sacrificial love which you're willing to give your life for someone and. This week there was a picture of a young man who had stood in front of a bomber got between himself and a some people and. The bomb exploded and he was quite disfigured from it. And they were. Whatever the comment was I I You very seldom. Respond to anything like that but this time I just wrote about Greater love has no man than. That he lay down his life for his friends and. That's what Christ and that type of love. Motivates us to moves us in the direction of self-sacrifice. So. Comparison. Comparing loves and going through that comparison things. It's very difficult for us to understand. A comparison of 's love for us and our love for . Because there are so disproportioned. Because 's love for us. Is set forth in his teachings and his character. You know faith. Bible says the faith is the substance of things hoped for. Now. When we would describe our own character. You know you were you were to write the five. Parts of your character that people would find most loving to say. What would they be what would the characteristics of your life be. What would you. What would you mind them. And what would you say about yourself that is so important that other people would love. Sacrifice themselves for that. You know what characteristics would there be. Now if I ask you what would be five characteristics of people would hate. I think oh yeah I got toast. You know. Because we're more apt to understand. Things that are. Hurtful or that might untag A nice people. More than we think about what is really the characteristics that people love. And the reason I say that is. In order then if I talked about or spoke about you wrote about yourself. And you wrote about your characteristics. Would people know you by your characteristics. Would people understand you. By your characteristics. Now you take those characteristics. And you. Embellish them you talk about them you write about them. So that people would have an understanding of what you meant by love. What you meant by. Sacrifice. What you meant by going to work every day to provide. What you meant by. Writing letters and taking care of individuals and what you meant by all of this. And you were able to explain it. Then people would have an idea of what each of those words meant. Well whenever we look at the scriptures and we look at First Corinthians thirteen. It's of course is the Love Chapter. But what we are seeing in First Corinthians thirteen is. Paul's description of what love is. But Paul is the scription of what love is is Jesus. And as we look at these characteristics. As Look at these fruits of the spirit and gifts of the Spirit. As we look at these things we are seeing the character of Christ and so whenever we are using these words. To give us an understanding of the person. Just like you would write about your characteristics good qualities bad qualities and. And. And write your feelings and how they came about in your life and you wrote about all those things. We would have an idea of what we were looking for whenever we found. This is the type of person that is this is type you know. Being very honest and open. You know. Some people write all these flowering things and there is there's not a bit of truth in it. You know. So when we meet the person it's like. That's not what they're a puck. They. They misled us. But so as we write about those things how would people know you. Completely how would they know your thoughts. And really to know us completely. It would take a in an encounter. It would take an ociation. While. Whenever we are looking at Christ. We are see. Seeing these characteristics that are. About him. About who he is what he looks. Not physically. Looks like. But what he is like as a person. And then when the. When the Holy Spirit. Comes the Holy Spirit helps us to have that relationship that friendship with so that the characteristics that are outlined about Jesus. Are made real to us by our relationship so. Coming to be with you spending spending time with you having a meal with you. You know spending hours days weeks months years. Who knows your best but your spouse. So what would your spouse say about your character. So they are getting to know you. They know you're good the bad and. The not so good. So. John three sixteen. We see the beginning of or. The foundation of our understanding. Which is so loved the world. That he gave OK. He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For came into the world said not a sent not a son of the world to condemn the world but the world through Him might be saved. So has come to love us. Not condemn us. So the foundational principle of Christ. Is Love. He came to love us came to love us. Forgive us. And put us in a right relationship with him. Now there's of course. Another side there is more to it there is a judgment coming. There and for those who rebel in their names are not written in 's Book of Life and all that when they go through an entire life. By rejecting while. They are going to suffer an eternal punishment. And we say well. How can a loving god. Have eternal punishment. Well. has set us. In a place where he wants us to know him. And if people are willing to hear the message and reject it. Than they are willing to receive. What that separation brings. But Jesus Stan and Paul talks about in first Corinthians thirteen. He says the way of love. Now. If we know that is love. And that is loving that he gave. So I think of it in the text that we've got to be as willing to give love as we are to receive it. We've got to be as willing to receive it as we are to give it. See there has to be this. Equality in the in love. Because if we're not willing to receive love. We're not really capable of forgiving ourselves. We're not capable of forgiving. Our own faults. Because I don't deserve to be loved. Well that's not . says you deserve to be loved because I created you. And he doesn't look at our failures he looks at that He created us to be his child and so we are then in this process of becoming. What wants us to be. And it's a love that changes the heart. There's. Years. Years ago I read about. A sword. Can. Can break a shield. But only love can penetrate a heart. So it's not by force and it's not but it's not by might. It's by the Spirit of So Ascott Spirit in. Reveals to us the. Characteristic of love and as we read Paul he says. The way of love if I speak with human eloquence and. An end Jellicoe Exter C ecstasy. But don't love. I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. So he begins by letting us know that the ability to speak and the. There is a paper written about people who are caught up in the ecstasy of religion and things that. Tries to destroy. You know that it religion faith. Should not have should have no emotional response. Well. Love has an emotional response. has a love for us in his emotional response was that. When Jesus is dying on the cross What does he do he wept. Or you know he didn't he. Excuse me. He wept whenever last or is. Was in the tomb. He called for forgiveness. From the cross to those who were crucifying him. So. Love has an emotional relationship. So there is. No. If you say love without emotions. Is like saying. There's breath without air. That there it does they don't exist. So Jesus and all Paul is here it's giving us this understanding that if you don't love. You're just making a lot of noise. Love has to be. The motivator. If you love someone you are willing to sacrifice. You're willing to give up who you are. You're willing to take of what you have and give it to someone with no strings attached. So if I speak. 's Word with power revealing all his mysteries and make everything plain as day. And if I have faith that says to mountains jump and it jumps. But I don't love. I'm nothing. See. So here we go look at creation. has the. has the power to speak the world into existence. has the power to fling that feeling the stars in e. has the power to separate the. The atmosphere from the from the water the water from the land. For it to speak. The. Exist into existence all of the animals and to breathe the breath of life. Into mankind. But you see if I can do all of that but I don't do it because I love. So you see the motive behind creating us. Was so that he could love us. And that we could love him. That we could find fulfillment in in who we are as a person. We weren't created. We were not created to take up e. You know. In my mum would sometimes tell us that. You're not here to create e get out there and do your work. You know. And what she would do with love. And the ironing cord. It was always it was always funny. Well we used to think it was funny. When my mom would threaten us with the yarn in court. Because we could not run or. You know. Now my dad. You didn't move. He said Stay there. When I want to get you next. You didn't move. Because we never ate did I never did experience the. Running away my brother did once. He took off running my dad chased him I bet a mile. Beating him the whole way. You know. It's clear up over the hill. You know. And my brother was right in and my dad was following him I didn't know my dad could run it fast. I still standing there when he got back. I didn't move. So. But also no love. I remember whenever we had Foster. Boys that were just. And they were brothers. And they lived with us maybe ten twelve years. And way at the far end of the field. Which was you could see it from the porch from our front porch of the house and. They were on hooking one of the boys was on hooking a piece of equipment. And he let out this scream. You know. My dad. Was off the porch crossed the road and jumped the fence and halfway through the field. Before he found out that he was OK. But he was going there too. You know. Love was had the ability didn't wait to find. There was owned this. There was this instant response. And he was. You know. Down to the field because he thought. One of the boys was getting hurt. Really see. Think about this in 's perspective. He doesn't want us just to. He doesn't want us to jump. Because he says so. He wants us to love. As he loves us. And if he wants us to jump. It's because he wants us. He has an. A good for. There's a reason for it there's a purpose Ford. Goes on to say. If I give everything I own to the poor. And even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr. But don't love I've gotten nowhere. So. There are people who go through this this poverty thing there's these individuals who. I forget what they call themselves that they beat themselves continually. They have. Whips and so on that they beat themselves in order to prove their. Their love for . And this. Self-sacrifice. They they. There's others you know they've gone to to be martyrs. But if you know in the olden days we don't have them it's well. Take that back. There are as many martyrs today in the world. As there were in the early church. And we don't we just don't know about it. There was a time when ever. It was in Iran. Whenever the December's of that the. The lifespan of the person who was the head of the Assemblies of . His lifespan was a month. And that there were like five seven people in line waiting to be the next leader. Because of that. You know. The There was such an outcry against any type of Christianity. And it says here that if I give my body. If I everything I own to the poor. And I am willing to be a martyr. So I'm willing to go and die. But if I don't do it because I love means nothing. So when Jesus goes to the cross. He goes there because he loves us. You know. And there's a scripture that says for the joy that was set before him he endured the cross for the joy that was set before him. HE No you think about it. What joy is going to override the crucifixion what joy is there that's going to somehow come out of being crucified on a cross and suffering all of that agony and disgrace and curses the one who hangs on the tree. I mean. Suffering all of that agony what joy is there. For the joy that was set before him. He endured the cross. The joy that held. Jesus. To the cross. Was to know that you and I would be his children. That's all. That was his joy to know you. And so. So no matter what I say what I believe in what I do. No matter what I say. What I believe what I do. I am bankrupt. Without love love becomes the motivator. In if we are motivated by love then we have a comp ion that will help us to reach our goals. If we have love we will we will be motivated by something that is inside of us. But also what is eternal. Because 's love is eternal and it is that. Love that is inspiring us. To to take on the tasks that are before us. That somehow 's love is going to help me become someone that wants me to be. And that becomes our desire our. Our goal our motivator our help. And so I am bankrupt without love love. Never gives up. Love cares more for others than for ourself. Love doesn't want. What it doesn't have and put on Christmas cards. Tell people. Don't ask for presents for your freely. If you really love you're not going to ask for anything. That's not what it means but. But the idea is love love isn't so preoccupied with getting. It's in the. So I'm one of my devotionals that I've been reading this over and over again and. Hoping that somehow I will understand it in the text that. That it is written in love doesn't. Love is not so preoccupied with getting. That it doesn't. I can never make it work right. Love. Love is not so preoccupied with getting that it interferes with 's giving. You see there is a. There is a love. Factor here that. Love will understand that I am capable of receiving. But Greed will be saying I've got to get and. And it doesn't mean that is not willing to give us. The thing that we are looking towards If this were the object of my desire and. I am. I am consumed with getting. But what if. In the same context is wanting to give this very same thing to me. So the challenge is that if I really love and love the people whom I am serving that. I will not be consumed with getting this because I got to have it. But I will be consumed with loving enough that I am willing to receive his gift into my life. And see. That is the. I think one of the very most difficult things to understand about love that. We have to be as well that we have to be willing to give love. Away. And we have to be willing to receive it. Into our lives. And humility is not. I'm not good enough. I haven't earned it. That's not humility. Humility is. loves me enough that he died for my sins and I receive that into my life. I receive His gift of life his gift of forgiveness. Humility says. I can get this. But it's more important that. I allow to give it to me. To see that it you know. Sometimes we look at things and say why I want that. And I got to get it. But is saying none. Don't don't be consumed with getting be consumed with loving me and. Opening your heart to be receptive of it. Love doesn't straught. Love doesn't have a swelled head. I won't. Allude to any athletes or anyone. About that one. Sometimes that's where it's most. Sad to say where it's most exhibited is in. Sometimes and the athletes. Not all of them some of them. Love doesn't force itself on others. Love isn't always Me First Law of Love doesn't fly off the handle. Does even know what fly off the handle was. Embody ever swing an axe or a hammer and. And the hammer come off. I have. I've been I've been fortunate enough to duck. Sometimes when things were thrown at me. By accident of course. But. But we have love that song is the. Things that fly off the handle is that you're swinging and. From the momentum of the swing causes the object on that to fly off. And so the love doesn't fly off the handle and this is the one I always use in the in marriage counseling but think of it is for doesn't love doesn't keep score of the sins of others. Love doesn't keep score. OK you did this to me twice. I only did it once I owe you. I'm going to get even. doesn't keep score of how many times you've sinned. doesn't. doesn't have this balance. Thing that goes on while you know. If you're getting you know. My mom would always say you know you're cruising for election. I know that my. My bad things were you know tipping the scale. In the form of. Getting getting the ironing cord which I would run away from but. But you know you're cruising for this you know you're getting you're getting more on that side so. But doesn't keep score. doesn't keep score of kept score we'd all be in . You know. He's not keeping score. You know. Why I did this wrong yesterday in ten years ago and. doesn't keep score. If sin is there he wants it removed. He wants or it doesn't trip. Revel and. Doesn't. Revel. When others grovel. So somebody is on the ground. You know. doesn't get. is not pleased. Because somebody has failed. Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth. When the truth comes out. About the situation. takes pleasure in that. Love puts up with anything. Love trust always and always looks for the best. Never looks back. Keeps Going to the end. Our future is in front of us. Our past is to be forgiven by us. And by and. We are to learn from our mistakes. Not drag them with us. So the. The idea of love is so complete that seeks only the best. So if we go out of here today. And we start looking at life. We want to look for the best. Well that's just a Pollyanna thing no. It's a thing. We look for what is good because in all things good fangs for this is the will of in Christ Jesus concerning you. Got wants us to see the good in it. There is bad in everything. But there is good in everything. What are we going to see how are we going to respond to it. Love doesn't look back. Love is not consumed with yesterday. Love is consumed with tomorrow and today. And one of the scripture. There's a whole bunch of more than I was going to read here. But. Romans chapter eight verse one. There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Romans eight one there is no condemnation. John three seventeen For sent not his Son of the world to condemn the world. So as we look at what the perfect love is the Spirit of is not saying. Not saying you're not good enough. You see. That is our human nature. That is the new and the fallen nature. It's not doesn't matter where comes from just know that it's not because is not condemning us. he is freeing us up from condemnation. is freeing us up from guilt. And slavery to sin. And he is the only one who can give us the power to overcome the difficulties in our life. You see people. You and I cannot change because of our past. We cannot move ahead with our lives. Buried in all the things that went wrong and chained to the guilt and shame. Of the past. Our life will change and. Only change. Whenever we allow the freedom that is found in forgiveness. The freedom that is found in being loved by Jesus Christ. The freedom that is understood by the Holy Spirit. Revealing to us. What the word tells us. We are now we are beginning to have the concept. We are beginning to understand the person of Jesus Christ. And that's what we are and everything that we read in everything that we understand of the Scriptures. We are looking to see Jesus. And if I can see Jesus. In these verses. I can begin to see his character his character is not condemning. His character is one of receiving his character is one of loving and unforgiving and building. An edifying. And looking for ways to bless us. So I need to look for those things because. Cobb wants to give them. But. Our nature in our. Wrong concepts are telling us we don't deserve it. You can i can't give that and I can't I don't need that. You know give it to somebody else. I'm on Worthy. Throw that out the door. That's not what it is. Cogged loves us and His love and His forgiveness. Make us worthy. Because we are His children. And as his child. We are joined here is with Christ. So there is nothing nothing. That is impossible with and it's love becomes the driving force the motivating force. The love for and for others. Happy Valentine's Day. Amen so we stand. Lord we thank you for the love that is given to us through Jesus Christ. We thank you Lord for the. The Word of . That is our. Card for the day. That tells us how of. How much we are loved and appreciated. We thank you Lord. That you love us. You died for us. And that Lord. In you. We find strength for today and tomorrow. We sever the ties with our sins in our failures. We ask for your forgiveness. And your grace in your mercy. We look forward to seeing your hands move in our lives in ways that we have never before understood. We pray in Jesus name. Amen amen amen.Well this message today. Is. I guess appropriately led Love. Saying that this is Valentine's Day and. The love that we have and the love that we experience through Jesus Christ is the perfect gift or perfect love and. Sometimes it's difficult to comprehend. Because most of the time we. We look at love from the perspective of our own experience. Of whether somebody loves us. If they love us then it's a little easier for us to love them. And even if people do love us. Necessarily. Maybe we don't love them. For whatever reason so. Love is something that. Is. I guess individual. That it depends on our feelings our emotions whether we. You know. I was listening to a person personal testimonies and things and. You know some people grew up an environment where they've never experienced love. They've never had any sense of stability in their life and. So for their family system and through. You know. They're going through school or and being in college and in their early lives it's just like they've never understood this whole concept of love. And so their only understanding of emotions basically were anger and resentment and and. Hurt and those types of things so for us to look at love and to understand. Into getting clearer perspective of it I think we have to look at the love that has for us and. We then becomes even become an expression of the love that we have received. So. But most of the times we think of. You know a lot of it's Valentine's Day we do that I gave you a card last year. Maybe I'll give you a card next year but. It's more of a hallmark. End of day. I think it was invented by Hallmark and. That we would you know. Go to him by the cards and send to everyone but. Fortunately for us we have a very unique experience our granddaughter Emma. Was born eight years ago. Today in El Salvador. And so. She was a Valentine's baby but in El Salvador they don't have Valentine's cards. So they don't have a Valentine's Day so we were. You know excited saying oh it's Valentine's Day that she's born on the people in El Salvador. What's that. You know. So it's just like they don't have the Fourth of July. That's our independence you know. They don't celebrate the Fourth of July. They have their own Independence Day So we look at things in that kind of gives us a little understanding of. You know what is our norm. What is our experience. May not be someone else's experience. And so whenever we talk about love it can be that same type of foreign experience. It is. It is something that people just have no concept of. And so when we think of love then we think of it almost always in the sense of comparison. Wall in comparison to what is love. In comparison to hatred in comparison to bitterness in comparison to really really doesn't matter in comparison to what. Well. Hopefully we can. It's like a vegetarian and the. And what they call carnivores you know the people who are meat eaters and. I don't I know we call vegetarians and vegans and you know they will have nothing to do with milk and vegetarians eat only the. Vegetables and things. But there are individuals who eat meat in. And consume vegetables as well. So. Whether we are a comparison of taste. Do you want hot sauce or not. Yeah. You go to them not to you know. And we made. Rhonda made soup the other day and and. With Turkey and being very Turkey. Berger's you know. Being very conscious of too much fat. Because I carry enough with me and. It was you know it said lightly seasoned you know. While I'm eating and I go. What did you put in this. You know what did you make this out of you know. And she's just Turkey and then she then afterwards she says. But it had flavoring you know. Well the flavoring was a little too hot for me but. But it's just see how our tastes are and who are we to say which taste is correct. You know. Who are we to say that your taste for. Steak with hot sauce or. Steak with A one sauce or. Veggie burgers. Or. You know looking at those things so it's each individual's. Experience and. And our own individual expression so. When we think about love it's kind of that same. Perspective it's like. It's so general that so. You know I love my car. I love my new truck. I love the weather. I love your new dress and love you. You know. Where do we you know it's the same word in. It's often that word that. Love which is so confusing. In our language in the English language because in the Greek. There are at least three or four. Expressions for the word love and you use love in each of those settings in one of them is just a general type of you know I love the day. And then there isn't the a copy a type of love which is the greatest type of love which is the sacrificial love which you're willing to give your life for someone and. This week there was a picture of a young man who had stood in front of a bomber got between himself and a some people and. The bomb exploded and he was quite disfigured from it. And they were. Whatever the comment was I I You very seldom. Respond to anything like that but this time I just wrote about Greater love has no man than. That he lay down his life for his friends and. That's what Christ and that type of love. Motivates us to moves us in the direction of self-sacrifice. So. Comparison. Comparing loves and going through that comparison things. It's very difficult for us to understand. A comparison of 's love for us and our love for . Because there are so disproportioned. Because 's love for us. Is set forth in his teachings and his character. You know faith. Bible says the faith is the substance of things hoped for. Now. When we would describe our own character. You know you were you were to write the five. Parts of your character that people would find most loving to say. What would they be what would the characteristics of your life be. What would you. What would you mind them. And what would you say about yourself that is so important that other people would love. Sacrifice themselves for that. You know what characteristics would there be. Now if I ask you what would be five characteristics of people would hate. I think oh yeah I got toast. You know. Because we're more apt to understand. Things that are. Hurtful or that might untag A nice people. More than we think about what is really the characteristics that people love. And the reason I say that is. In order then if I talked about or spoke about you wrote about yourself. And you wrote about your characteristics. Would people know you by your characteristics. Would people understand you. By your characteristics. Now you take those characteristics. And you. Embellish them you talk about them you write about them. So that people would have an understanding of what you meant by love. What you meant by. Sacrifice. What you meant by going to work every day to provide. What you meant by. Writing letters and taking care of individuals and what you meant by all of this. And you were able to explain it. Then people would have an idea of what each of those words meant. Well whenever we look at the scriptures and we look at First Corinthians thirteen. It's of course is the Love Chapter. But what we are seeing in First Corinthians thirteen is. Paul's description of what love is. But Paul is the scription of what love is is Jesus. And as we look at these characteristics. As Look at these fruits of the spirit and gifts of the Spirit. As we look at these things we are seeing the character of Christ and so whenever we are using these words. To give us an understanding of the person. Just like you would write about your characteristics good qualities bad qualities and. And. And write your feelings and how they came about in your life and you wrote about all those things. We would have an idea of what we were looking for whenever we found. This is the type of person that is this is type you know. Being very honest and open. You know. Some people write all these flowering things and there is there's not a bit of truth in it. You know. So when we meet the person it's like. That's not what they're a puck. They. They misled us. But so as we write about those things how would people know you. Completely how would they know your thoughts. And really to know us completely. It would take a in an encounter. It would take an ociation. While. Whenever we are looking at Christ. We are see. Seeing these characteristics that are. About him. About who he is what he looks. Not physically. Looks like. But what he is like as a person. And then when the. When the Holy Spirit. Comes the Holy Spirit helps us to have that relationship that friendship with so that the characteristics that are outlined about Jesus. Are made real to us by our relationship so. Coming to be with you spending spending time with you having a meal with you. You know spending hours days weeks months years. Who knows your best but your spouse. So what would your spouse say about your character. So they are getting to know you. They know you're good the bad and. The not so good. So. John three sixteen. We see the beginning of or. The foundation of our understanding. Which is so loved the world. That he gave OK. He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For came into the world said not a sent not a son of the world to condemn the world but the world through Him might be saved. So has come to love us. Not condemn us. So the foundational principle of Christ. Is Love. He came to love us came to love us. Forgive us. And put us in a right relationship with him. Now there's of course. Another side there is more to it there is a judgment coming. There and for those who rebel in their names are not written in 's Book of Life and all that when they go through an entire life. By rejecting while. They are going to suffer an eternal punishment. And we say well. How can a loving god. Have eternal punishment. Well. has set us. In a place where he wants us to know him. And if people are willing to hear the message and reject it. Than they are willing to receive. What that separation brings. But Jesus Stan and Paul talks about in first Corinthians thirteen. He says the way of love. Now. If we know that is love. And that is loving that he gave. So I think of it in the text that we've got to be as willing to give love as we are to receive it. We've got to be as willing to receive it as we are to give it. See there has to be this. Equality in the in love. Because if we're not willing to receive love. We're not really capable of forgiving ourselves. We're not capable of forgiving. Our own faults. Because I don't deserve to be loved. Well that's not . says you deserve to be loved because I created you. And he doesn't look at our failures he looks at that He created us to be his child and so we are then in this process of becoming. What wants us to be. And it's a love that changes the heart. There's. Years. Years ago I read about. A sword. Can. Can break a shield. But only love can penetrate a heart. So it's not by force and it's not but it's not by might. It's by the Spirit of So Ascott Spirit in. Reveals to us the. Characteristic of love and as we read Paul he says. The way of love if I speak with human eloquence and. An end Jellicoe Exter C ecstasy. But don't love. I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. So he begins by letting us know that the ability to speak and the. There is a paper written about people who are caught up in the ecstasy of religion and things that. Tries to destroy. You know that it religion faith. Should not have should have no emotional response. Well. Love has an emotional response. has a love for us in his emotional response was that. When Jesus is dying on the cross What does he do he wept. Or you know he didn't he. Excuse me. He wept whenever last or is. Was in the tomb. He called for forgiveness. From the cross to those who were crucifying him. So. Love has an emotional relationship. So there is. No. If you say love without emotions. Is like saying. There's breath without air. That there it does they don't exist. So Jesus and all Paul is here it's giving us this understanding that if you don't love. You're just making a lot of noise. Love has to be. The motivator. If you love someone you are willing to sacrifice. You're willing to give up who you are. You're willing to take of what you have and give it to someone with no strings attached. So if I speak. 's Word with power revealing all his mysteries and make everything plain as day. And if I have faith that says to mountains jump and it jumps. But I don't love. I'm nothing. See. So here we go look at creation. has the. has the power to speak the world into existence. has the power to fling that feeling the stars in e. has the power to separate the. The atmosphere from the from the water the water from the land. For it to speak. The. Exist into existence all of the animals and to breathe the breath of life. Into mankind. But you see if I can do all of that but I don't do it because I love. So you see the motive behind creating us. Was so that he could love us. And that we could love him. That we could find fulfillment in in who we are as a person. We weren't created. We were not created to take up e. You know. In my mum would sometimes tell us that. You're not here to create e get out there and do your work. You know. And what she would do with love. And the ironing cord. It was always it was always funny. Well we used to think it was funny. When my mom would threaten us with the yarn in court. Because we could not run or. You know. Now my dad. You didn't move. He said Stay there. When I want to get you next. You didn't move. Because we never ate did I never did experience the. Running away my brother did once. He took off running my dad chased him I bet a mile. Beating him the whole way. You know. It's clear up over the hill. You know. And my brother was right in and my dad was following him I didn't know my dad could run it fast. I still standing there when he got back. I didn't move. So. But also no love. I remember whenever we had Foster. Boys that were just. And they were brothers. And they lived with us maybe ten twelve years. And way at the far end of the field. Which was you could see it from the porch from our front porch of the house and. They were on hooking one of the boys was on hooking a piece of equipment. And he let out this scream. You know. My dad. Was off the porch crossed the road and jumped the fence and halfway through the field. Before he found out that he was OK. But he was going there too. You know. Love was had the ability didn't wait to find. There was owned this. There was this instant response. And he was. You know. Down to the field because he thought. One of the boys was getting hurt. Really see. Think about this in 's perspective. He doesn't want us just to. He doesn't want us to jump. Because he says so. He wants us to love. As he loves us. And if he wants us to jump. It's because he wants us. He has an. A good for. There's a reason for it there's a purpose Ford. Goes on to say. If I give everything I own to the poor. And even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr. But don't love I've gotten nowhere. So. There are people who go through this this poverty thing there's these individuals who. I forget what they call themselves that they beat themselves continually. They have. Whips and so on that they beat themselves in order to prove their. Their love for . And this. Self-sacrifice. They they. There's others you know they've gone to to be martyrs. But if you know in the olden days we don't have them it's well. Take that back. There are as many martyrs today in the world. As there were in the early church. And we don't we just don't know about it. There was a time when ever. It was in Iran. Whenever the December's of that the. The lifespan of the person who was the head of the Assemblies of . His lifespan was a month. And that there were like five seven people in line waiting to be the next leader. Because of that. You know. The There was such an outcry against any type of Christianity. And it says here that if I give my body. If I everything I own to the poor. And I am willing to be a martyr. So I'm willing to go and die. But if I don't do it because I love means nothing. So when Jesus goes to the cross. He goes there because he loves us. You know. And there's a scripture that says for the joy that was set before him he endured the cross for the joy that was set before him. HE No you think about it. What joy is going to override the crucifixion what joy is there that's going to somehow come out of being crucified on a cross and suffering all of that agony and disgrace and curses the one who hangs on the tree. I mean. Suffering all of that agony what joy is there. For the joy that was set before him. He endured the cross. The joy that held. Jesus. To the cross. Was to know that you and I would be his children. That's all. That was his joy to know you. And so. So no matter what I say what I believe in what I do. No matter what I say. What I believe what I do. I am bankrupt. Without love love becomes the motivator. In if we are motivated by love then we have a comp ion that will help us to reach our goals. If we have love we will we will be motivated by something that is inside of us. But also what is eternal. Because 's love is eternal and it is that. Love that is inspiring us. To to take on the tasks that are before us. That somehow 's love is going to help me become someone that wants me to be. And that becomes our desire our. Our goal our motivator our help. And so I am bankrupt without love love. Never gives up. Love cares more for others than for ourself. Love doesn't want. What it doesn't have and put on Christmas cards. Tell people. Don't ask for presents for your freely. If you really love you're not going to ask for anything. That's not what it means but. But the idea is love love isn't so preoccupied with getting. It's in the. So I'm one of my devotionals that I've been reading this over and over again and. Hoping that somehow I will understand it in the text that. That it is written in love doesn't. Love is not so preoccupied with getting. That it doesn't. I can never make it work right. Love. Love is not so preoccupied with getting that it interferes with 's giving. You see there is a. There is a love. Factor here that. Love will understand that I am capable of receiving. But Greed will be saying I've got to get and. And it doesn't mean that is not willing to give us. The thing that we are looking towards If this were the object of my desire and. I am. I am consumed with getting. But what if. In the same context is wanting to give this very same thing to me. So the challenge is that if I really love and love the people whom I am serving that. I will not be consumed with getting this because I got to have it. But I will be consumed with loving enough that I am willing to receive his gift into my life. And see. That is the. I think one of the very most difficult things to understand about love that. We have to be as well that we have to be willing to give love. Away. And we have to be willing to receive it. Into our lives. And humility is not. I'm not good enough. I haven't earned it. That's not humility. Humility is. loves me enough that he died for my sins and I receive that into my life. I receive His gift of life his gift of forgiveness. Humility says. I can get this. But it's more important that. I allow to give it to me. To see that it you know. Sometimes we look at things and say why I want that. And I got to get it. But is saying none. Don't don't be consumed with getting be consumed with loving me and. Opening your heart to be receptive of it. Love doesn't straught. Love doesn't have a swelled head. I won't. Allude to any athletes or anyone. About that one. Sometimes that's where it's most. Sad to say where it's most exhibited is in. Sometimes and the athletes. Not all of them some of them. Love doesn't force itself on others. Love isn't always Me First Law of Love doesn't fly off the handle. Does even know what fly off the handle was. Embody ever swing an axe or a hammer and. And the hammer come off. I have. I've been I've been fortunate enough to duck. Sometimes when things were thrown at me. By accident of course. But. But we have love that song is the. Things that fly off the handle is that you're swinging and. From the momentum of the swing causes the object on that to fly off. And so the love doesn't fly off the handle and this is the one I always use in the in marriage counseling but think of it is for doesn't love doesn't keep score of the sins of others. Love doesn't keep score. OK you did this to me twice. I only did it once I owe you. I'm going to get even. doesn't keep score of how many times you've sinned. doesn't. doesn't have this balance. Thing that goes on while you know. If you're getting you know. My mom would always say you know you're cruising for election. I know that my. My bad things were you know tipping the scale. In the form of. Getting getting the ironing cord which I would run away from but. But you know you're cruising for this you know you're getting you're getting more on that side so. But doesn't keep score. doesn't keep score of kept score we'd all be in . You know. He's not keeping score. You know. Why I did this wrong yesterday in ten years ago and. doesn't keep score. If sin is there he wants it removed. He wants or it doesn't trip. Revel and. Doesn't. Revel. When others grovel. So somebody is on the ground. You know. doesn't get. is not pleased. Because somebody has failed. Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth. When the truth comes out. About the situation. takes pleasure in that. Love puts up with anything. Love trust always and always looks for the best. Never looks back. Keeps Going to the end. Our future is in front of us. Our past is to be forgiven by us. And by and. We are to learn from our mistakes. Not drag them with us. So the. The idea of love is so complete that seeks only the best. So if we go out of here today. And we start looking at life. We want to look for the best. Well that's just a Pollyanna thing no. It's a thing. We look for what is good because in all things good fangs for this is the will of in Christ Jesus concerning you. Got wants us to see the good in it. There is bad in everything. But there is good in everything. What are we going to see how are we going to respond to it. Love doesn't look back. Love is not consumed with yesterday. Love is consumed with tomorrow and today. And one of the scripture. There's a whole bunch of more than I was going to read here. But. Romans chapter eight verse one. There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Romans eight one there is no condemnation. John three seventeen For sent not his Son of the world to condemn the world. So as we look at what the perfect love is the Spirit of is not saying. Not saying you're not good enough. You see. That is our human nature. That is the new and the fallen nature. It's not doesn't matter where comes from just know that it's not because is not condemning us. he is freeing us up from condemnation. is freeing us up from guilt. And slavery to sin. And he is the only one who can give us the power to overcome the difficulties in our life. You see people. You and I cannot change because of our past. We cannot move ahead with our lives. Buried in all the things that went wrong and chained to the guilt and shame. Of the past. Our life will change and. Only change. Whenever we allow the freedom that is found in forgiveness. The freedom that is found in being loved by Jesus Christ. The freedom that is understood by the Holy Spirit. Revealing to us. What the word tells us. We are now we are beginning to have the concept. We are beginning to understand the person of Jesus Christ. And that's what we are and everything that we read in everything that we understand of the Scriptures. We are looking to see Jesus. And if I can see Jesus. In these verses. I can begin to see his character his character is not condemning. His character is one of receiving his character is one of loving and unforgiving and building. An edifying. And looking for ways to bless us. So I need to look for those things because. Cobb wants to give them. But. Our nature in our. Wrong concepts are telling us we don't deserve it. You can i can't give that and I can't I don't need that. You know give it to somebody else. I'm on Worthy. Throw that out the door. That's not what it is. Cogged loves us and His love and His forgiveness. Make us worthy. Because we are His children. And as his child. We are joined here is with Christ. So there is nothing nothing. That is impossible with and it's love becomes the driving force the motivating force. The love for and for others. Happy Valentine's Day. Amen so we stand. Lord we thank you for the love that is given to us through Jesus Christ. We thank you Lord for the. The Word of . That is our. Card for the day. That tells us how of. How much we are loved and appreciated. We thank you Lord. That you love us. You died for us. And that Lord. In you. We find strength for today and tomorrow. We sever the ties with our sins in our failures. We ask for your forgiveness. And your grace in your mercy. We look forward to seeing your hands move in our lives in ways that we have never before understood. We pray in Jesus name. Amen amen amen.